Ex‑pilot urges Cuban military not to shoot protesters in recorded message

Radio Martí aired a recorded appeal from former Cuban Air Force pilot Orestes Lorenzo Pérez in which he urged members of the Cuban military and police not to open fire on unarmed citizens if protests occur. "No puedes hacerlo… Hacerlo sería traicionar la patria," Pérez said, invoking Cuba’s historical independence fighters as a moral frame for refusing orders to repress civilians.

Pérez reminded uniformed personnel of their historical roots in the Mambises and argued their primary loyalty must be to the Cuban people rather than to a government that, in his words, has divided citizens into 'revolutionaries' and 'contrarrevolucionarios.' He warned that those who repress civilians would face justice for "traición a la patria."

The broadcast presented the message as a moral call aimed at dissuading security forces from participating in repression, and hosts followed the recording with brief commentary underscoring the program’s emphasis on nonviolence and the potential scale of civil unrest. The program did not include a response from Cuban authorities or security forces, nor did it provide independent verification of any actions the message referenced.